Adana Demirspor are on course to seal their best-ever Super Lig finish as they prepare to take on Fatih Karagumruk in Istanbul on Wednesday night.
Flying high in fourth place, Adana Demirspor find themselves 16 points above ninth-placed Karagumruk, who have experienced an indifferent campaign under Andrea Pirlo.
Match preview
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When Fatih Karagumruk enjoyed an 11-game unbeaten streak in the league between December and April – picking up five wins and six draws along the way – they looked destined to keep the pressure on the European chasers.
However, the Istanbul outfit have managed to claim a solitary victory in four outings since then, suffering home defeats to Fenerbahce and Antalyaspor, although they have collected awarded wins over Hatayspor and Gaziantep in recent weeks.
As a result, Karagumruk find themselves 24 points shy of the top three and 16 points above the bottom four, meaning that Andrea Pirlo's side are heading for another mid-table finish.
That said, Pirlo's men boast one of the best strongest home records in the Super Lig this season, having lost just two of their previous nine matches at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, with three wins and four draws coming since a 2-0 defeat to Galatasaray back in October.
It is also worth pointing out that Karagumruk have two of the division's top three scorers in their ranks, as only Fenerbahce's Enner Valencia has netted more goals than Fabio Borini and Mbaye Diagne this term.
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On the flip side, Adana Demirspor look set to surpass their best-ever Super Lig finish of sixth, as they currently occupy fourth place in the standings – nine points above fifth-placed Istanbul Basaksehir.
Although a European finish is out of reach, the Blue Lightnings can be extremely proud of their efforts this season, having lost just five of their 31 league matches, while only Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have scored more goals.
Adana Demirspor have remained consistent throughout the campaign but have taken their game to another level in recent weeks, notching four successive victories after collecting an awarded win against Gaziantep.
Following a 5-0 thrashing of Kasimpasa, Vincenzo Montella's men defeated Konyaspor 2-1 before crushing Kayserispor 5-3, with a 4-2 victory over Alanyaspor coming last time out.
Granted, Adana Demirspor have managed to win just two of their last nine away league outings, losing four of their previous seven, but the Blue Lightnings will still back themselves to secure back-to-back victories on the road, having dispatched Konyaspor last month.
Team News
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Fatih Karagumruk will be without Matteo Ricci on Wednesday as the Italian midfielder continues to nurse a back injury, while Efe Tatli will miss the visit of Adana Demirspor due to a knee issue.
Young defenders Efecan Mizrakci and Emir Tintis are also expected to be absent on Wednesday, as the 19-year-olds have been sidelined for the past few months through injury.
Georgian forward Saba Lobzhanidze will join Fabio Borini and Mbaye Diagne in attack, with Rayyan Baniya and Ibrahim Dresevic expected to continue at centre-back.
With no injury problems to report ahead of Wednesday's clash, Adana Demirspor manager Vincenzo Montella will likely stick with the same starting XI that extended the club's winning streak last time out.
Having chalked up five goals and two assists across the past four matches, Cherif Ndiaye will continue up front alongside Younes Belhanda, who has bagged four goals in his last four appearances.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Benjamin Stambouli will continue to drive the visitors' engine room, while Jonas Svensson and Kevin Rodrigues are expected to occupy the full-back roles.
Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Sen; Biraschi, Baniya, Dresevic, Mercan; Shukurov, Bertolacci, Ozdoyev; Lobzhanidze, Diagne, Borini
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Ozbir; Svensson, Morel, Guler, Rodrigues; Sari, Stambouli, Ndiaye, Onyekuru; Ndiaye, Belhanda
We say: Fatih Karagumruk 1-3 Adana Demirspor
Having netted 15 goals across their previous four matches, Adana Demirspor look set to maintain their winning run with a high-scoring victory over Faith Karagumruk, whose season will continue to peter out.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
